Budget: Foord slams Govt failure to cut energy bills

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed that energy bills will remain at £2,500 for the next three months, meaning the typical household energy bill will be double what it was in April 2021.

The Chancellor also scrapped the £400 discount on bills which most households received this winter and failed to U-turn on plans to slash energy bill support for businesses, leisure centres, schools and hospitals by 85%.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Chancellor to cut people's bills now by reducing the Energy Price Guarantee by £500 per household, funded through a proper windfall tax on the record profits of oil and gas companies.

This would mean average bills would drop to £1,971 a year, what they were last year, with the support kept in place until next April to offer people a genuine cushion. The Liberal Democrats are also calling extra targeted support for the least well-off households, including doubling the Warm Homes Discount to £300.

Analysis from the Lib Dems based on official local electricity and gas consumption statistics show that households across East and Mid Devon would save an average of more than £300 under the party's plans.

This would mean total savings of over £28.8 million for communities across the area.

Commenting Richard Foord MP said:
“The fact that this Conservative government has maintained the current energy price cap, rather than cutting energy bills, is a real blow to people across Devon – many of whom are already buckling under the weight of soaring rents and mortgages, rising shopping bills, and tax rises.

“Their plans will push people here in the West Country deeper into fuel poverty, while oil and gas companies continue to make obscene record profits and get away with it. This simply isn’t acceptable and shows that Ministers are totally out of touch.

“The budget also fails to take into account the needs of our small businesses, particularly our pubs, who are the backbone of our local communities. The decision to focus on only helping big firms is a crucial oversight and will put jobs at risk.

"Here in rural Devon it can take hours to get an ambulance, weeks to see a GP and months for a hospital appointment. Yet the Budget also completely ignored the NHS crisis.

“In these tough times, local people deserve a proper plan to tackle this cost-of-living crisis. That would mean a proper windfall tax, cutting energy bills by £500, and more investment in our local health services.”